Rice To Seek Mideast Truce

July 30, 2006|By Cam Simpson and Liz Sly, Chicago Tribune

JERUSALEM — The secretary of state is back in the war-torn region in her effort to help bring about a cease-fire.

As Israel pulled out of a south Lebanon hot spot and Hezbollah's leader signaled a will to fight on, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice returned to the Mideast on Saturday, ready, for the first time, to bargain the details of a cease-fire.

"I'm now going to get into some fairly intense -- I suspect, not easy -- give-and-take with officials," Rice told reporters traveling with her en route to Tel Aviv.

She met late into the night Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at his official residence in central Jerusalem. Earlier Saturday, Rice had suggested she could also meet soon with Lebanese officials.

Rice's mission came as Israel withdrew its forces from the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil, scene of some of the most intense fighting between Israeli soldiers and Lebanese militants during the 18-day-old war.

Not long after Rice landed, as Jews prepared to break their Sabbath, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah appeared on television across Israel, Lebanon and the region. In his fourth videotaped address since the fighting began, Nasrallah said he was ready to fight on. He also criticized Rice, saying she wanted to impose her idea of a "new Middle East" on Lebanon to favor Israel.

Rice and the White House have faced intense international criticism for refusing to call for an immediate cessation to the fighting. Until now, her diplomatic efforts have not been focused on actual negotiations.

Even if Rice can quickly broker terms, an end to the fighting could still be weeks away, given the time it is expected to take for the world to gather a multinational force and deploy it in south Lebanon.

"Obviously, since we want an early end to the violence, it's increasingly important that we get agreement on the elements," Rice said.

Both sides, along with virtually all the world's leaders, have called for some form of international force.

U.S. officials said a "troop contribution" meeting is scheduled for Monday at the United Nations.

In the coming days, both sides will face "really hard and emotional decisions," Rice said, also suggesting terms were not concluded before her arrival.

"I expect the discussions to be difficult, but there will have to be give and take," she said.

The latest diplomatic effort follows the acceptance by Lebanon's fractured Cabinet, which includes two Hezbollah ministers and other politicians friendly to the militant group, of a peace plan put forward by Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

Among its key points, the plan calls for an immediate cease-fire, a prisoner exchange brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross, an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and, ultimately, the disarmament of Hezbollah, as called for in international agreements.

Although Hezbollah has signed on to the offer, Nasrallah did not specifically mention it in his address Saturday, instead offering defiance. He said Hezbollah is winning the war and threatened to strike targets deep within Israel.

"There are many cities in the center (of Israel) that will be targeted in the stage beyond Haifa if the barbaric aggression against our country and people continues," he said, referring to the Israeli port city of Haifa, 20 miles from the Lebanese border, which has been struck repeatedly by rockets.

His message came one day after Hezbollah fired its longest-range missile yet, striking the town of Afula, which is about 28 miles southeast of Haifa. On Saturday, guerrillas fired at least 39 rockets into Israel, lightly injuring five people, The Associated Press reported.

The Israelis continued to pound targets across southern Lebanon, killing seven in the market town of Nabatiyeh, including a woman and her five children, AP reported.

Warplanes also struck the main border crossing between Syria and Lebanon, closing the border for the first time since the conflict began. Three missiles exploded near the Lebanese customs post in the border town of Masnaa, causing no casualties but prompting officials to close one of Lebanon's few remaining links with the outside world.

Israel has repeatedly struck bridges, intersections, trucks and other targets along the road linking Beirut and Damascus in an attempt to prevent Hezbollah from moving weapons into the country from Syria. The border town at Masnaa was hit in the earliest days of the war, but the crossing remained open.

However, the Israeli army Saturday pulled out of Bint Jbeil, where it took its worst casualties in fighting against Hezbollah militants. Eighteen Israeli soldiers died in the battle for the town.

Officials said troops could return to the area if necessary.

At least 458 Lebanese have been killed in the fighting, according to a Health Ministry count Friday based on the number of bodies in hospitals, plus Saturday's deaths.

Some estimates range as high as 600 dead, with many bodies buried in rubble, AP reported. Thirty-three Israeli soldiers have died, and Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel have killed 19 civilians, the Israeli army said.